Capping heads



May 12, l959 I E. TL ALDINGTON 2,885,851 v I CAPPING HEADS 'Filed sept.so, 1955 i INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O CAPPING HEADS Elmer T. Aldington, Bethlehem, Pa.,assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Can Company, New York,

.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 30, 1955, SerialNo. 537,778 1 Claim. (Cl. 53357) This invention relates to a capping orsealing head for securing and sealing caps or closures on containers.

The invention relates more particularly to a capping or sealing headadapted for folding and crimping a closure or cap of ilexible material,such as metal foil or aluminum foil, on the upper end of paper orcardboard containers.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a capping or sealinghead of the character described, so constructed and so functioning thatthe pressure on the container wall during the sealing operation will beso regulated that the wall will not bend or buckle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a capping or sealing headof the character described, so constructed and so functioning that theupper edge of the container will be confined or held against any radialexpansion during the sealing operation.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the followingspecification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part ofthis application, and in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of thehead, the parts being shown in the positions taken before the cap isapplied to the container;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional elevation of the head after themovement to capping or sealing position; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2 but showg one edge of thehead on an enlarged scale.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the capping orsealing head comprises a cup-shaped casing having a flared lower end 11which merges into a cylindrical wall 12. The top 13 of the casing has acentral opening 14 in which is slidably mounted a post or spindle 1S.

On the lower end of the post there is mounted a disk 20 to which issecured, as by screws 21, a second disk 22. The disk 22 at its outerperiphery has a downwardly extending flange 23 and a groove 24 withinthe ange. A spring 2S is interposed between the top 13 and the upperdisk 20 and normally forces the disk and spindle downwardly, thisdownward movement being limited by a set screw 26 which extends into alongitudinal slot 27 in the spindle 15.

A resilient or elastic ring formed of rubber or other suitable materialis shown at 30 and attention is particularly directed to Fig. 3. Theinner periphery of the ring is clamped to disk 22 in any suitable mannerand, as shown at 31, between the outer peripheries of the disks 20 and22. The outer periphery or lower edge of the ring is enlarged and angedand when the sealing operation is not being performed the flange of thering is disposed within the ared lower portion 11 of the cup-shapedcasing 10.

In the form of the invention shown, the container o1' cup C to be cappedor sealed is supported on a head 35 mounted on the upper end of a post36. The container is raised and the upper edge thereof seats within thegroove 24 and is conlned or held against radial expansion by means ofthe flange 23 on the outer edge of the disk 22. As the cup or containercontinues to be forced upwardly, the disks 20 and 22 will be forcedupwardly against the action of the spring 25, and this spring is soregulated that the downward pressure on the cup will not be sufficientto buckle the wall of the cup or container. As the disks are movedupwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Pig.2, the elastic or resilient ring 3l) which engages the outer peripheryof the vclosure or cap 34 will `be folded around the outer edge or rimof disk 22 which acts as a fulcrum and around the upper edge of thecontainer, thus folding and clamping the periphery of the cap around thecontainer top to seal the container. This folding action is caused bythe engagement of the lower bulbous end 37 of the ring 30 with theflared portion 11 of the cup-shaped casing 10, and thereafter by theengagement of the outwardly extending portion of the ring 3th by thecylindrical wall 12 of the casing 18. This action is shown in Fig. 3.

During the sealing operation, the ring, because of the action of thecylindrical portion of the casing 10 with the outer portion of the rinis contracted, and in order to vfacilitate and permit this contractionthe ring is provided with radial slots 38.

It will be understood that although relative movement of the cappingmechanism and the container is necessary, the capping mechanism may bemoved downwardly to engage the upper edge of the container or, as shownin the drawings, the container may be moved upwardly into engagementwith the capping mechanism.

Attention is called to the fact that in the construction shown theresilient or elastic ring is securely held at its inner periphery orupper end between the disks 20 and 22 and the spring 25 is soconstituted that there will be no tendency to collapse or buckle thecontainer wall. Furthermore, the llange and groove at the outer edge ofthe disk 22 circumferentially engage the upper edge of the cup and holdit in position during the sealing operation.

Although one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularlyshown and described it will be understood that the invention is capableof modication and that changes in the construction and in thearrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in thefollowing claim.

What I claim is:

A capping head for securing a flexible sealing disk over a containercomprising a cup-shaped casing having an open lower end, said open endhaving a ared lower portion merging into a substantially cylindricalportion, a spindle slidably mounted in a central opening in the top ofthe casing, a pair of disks mounted on the lower end of the spindle,means for securing the disks together against relative movements, saidbottom disk having a downwardly extending peripheral ange adapted toextend over and conine the upper edge of the container to be sealed, aresilient ring having its inner periphery clamped between the outerperipheries of said pair of disks and having its outer peripheryextending over and around the outer edge portion of the bottom disk andover the sealing disk disposed within the ilared lower end of the casingprior to the capping operation, resilient means between the pair ofdisks and the top of the cup-shaped casing for pressing said disks andring downwardly, and means for limiting said downward movement, saidresilient ring and the vouter end of the sealing disk being forcedaround and beneath the periphery of the bottom disk by direct contactwith the lower end of the cup-shaped casing as the casing is depressed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,878,343 Stone Sept. 2G, 1932 1,957,441 Bridge May 8, 1934 2,385,429Underwood Sept. 25, 1945 2,469,191 Bedworth et al. May 3, 1949

